Women emancipation by Habib Bourguiba

INA00718

Note

Women emancipation by Habib Bourguiba

Collection title

Self-portrait of an independence: Bourguiba

ID

INA00718

Source

INA (FR)

First broadcast date

01/01/1985

Production year

1985

Abstract

Excerpt from a documentary co-produced by INA and the daily Le Monde in 1985, which is a portrait of Habib Bourguiba, directed by Paul Balta, journalist with Le Monde, citing the major steps of the political career of the founder of modern Tunisia,
in this extract , H. Bourguiba made ​​a symbolic gesture to remove the veil of Tunisian women. He talks about the independence of the woman he proclaimed even before the independence of Tunisia.

Type

video

Production companies

National audiovisual Institute - Coproduction

Broadcaster

INA

Audiovisual form

Documentary

Personalities

Bourguiba Habib

Primary theme

Women

Secondary themes

Contemporary historical challenges 19th-20th c.

Credits / Cast

Balta Paul - Journalist

Period of events

1956

Map locations

Tunisia - North - Tunis

Original language

French

Media running time

2m35

Transcript

- silence

- As early as August 13th, 1956, before the proclamation of the Republic, Burguiba proclaimed the independence of women.

- Underneath, one might say, on a kind of a lower floor of the Tunisian society, below men who were the victims of the colonial regime, there were women,

- the secondary victims of a terrible situation

- and that comes from old habits, traditions, with a sacred aspect, a religious aspect, that had women resigning over their own fate.

- It is about fighting mentality, habits.

- It is not a matter of poverty, it is a matter of traditions, custom, habits and it is hard to get rid of habits.

- music

- To remove the veil, this freeing act, he is the first one and the only Arab and Muslim Head of State who dared doing so.

- He is the first one and the only one who forbade repudiation and polygamy, who, on an equal foot, gave both spouses the divorce right and he did so in a conservative society.

- music

- The café was and remains the domain of men.

- Women, even if free, still don’t dare showing up.

- They fear they would cause a scandal or to be bothered.

- In some villages, and even sometimes in town, men still go to the market,

- as their wives remain in the household.

- But to fight against ancient habits and customs that are deeply rooted, one action is not enough.

- To transform mentalities, Burguiba multiplies the measures.

- Because as he explains, without the prerequisite of female evolution, no progress is possible.